An attempt to help explain the mysteries and magic that are part and parcel of 'probation'.

Monday, 18 November 2013

A Confession

I have a confession to make. I haven't got anything much to say today and was therefore tempted not to post, however, I see that my last post has attracted nearly 60 comments and is becoming unwieldy to follow. So, please feel free to add any observations, links, quotes, thoughts or ideas regarding this TR omnishambles, or indeed anything, here. Your contributions will help ensure there's no blank space tomorrow.Just before I close though, I did note a couple of things from yesterday's Sunday Times. Firstly Nick Herbert, the former Tory criminal justice minister doesn't seem enthused about the plans for probation at all. Writing about Police and Crime Commissioners he says:- "Instead of creating larger probation areas and moving to national contracts for justice services such as electronic tagging, we should re-localise these services and put an elected official in charge, who would have a powerful incentive to break the cycle of local crime." Secondly, I notice the business editor Dominic O'Connell had this to say ahead of the appearance of Serco and G4S for a grilling in front of Margaret Hodge and the Public Accounts Committee later this week:-"Unless the government is going to retreat from outsourcing - and I would bet a large sum that it won't, regardless of the outcome of the next election - it needs a strong, competitive market. If Serco collapses, that market will be weakened. A test is coming next year with the planned part-privatisation of the probation service. It's already a controversial deal, with public sector unions campaigning hard to stop it. If Serco and G4S were forced to withdraw, only a couple of bidders would be left. It would be extremely difficult for the Ministry of Justice to go ahead with a credibly competitive tender."

21 comments:

I found the following article in yesterdays Independent interesting, only because G4S, Serco and Capita ( whos boss has just announced hes standing down from msrch 1st) are before the select committee this week.

As Dominic O,Connell says, "If Serco and G4S were forced to withdraw, only a couple of bidders would be left. It would be extremely difficult for the Ministry of Justice to go ahead with a credibly competitive tender."

No wonder, "An investigation by The Independent has found a plethora of lobbying firms which are hiring out their services to executives facing cross examination by select committees. The companies offer to put witnesses through mock examinations, draft likely questions and provide clients with inside information on “motivations and objectives” of the committees and the MPs who sit on them.

Some are even hiring former MPs and ministers to play the roles of committee members while others are offering to get advance warning of potential lines of attack.

And as an afterthought, now with the changes in Legal Aid, I wonder if the former MP's and minsiters are going to defend other criminal cases, or is it just fraud and big corporations that they are interested in?

They have publicly humiliated former business titans from Rupert Murdoch to Bob Diamond, forced Starbucks to cough up £10m in tax and made villains of some of the world’s best-known brands. But corporate Britain is fighting back against Parliament’s newly invigorated inquisitorial committees by hiring highly paid specialist consultants to prepare executives for grillings by MPs.

An investigation by The Independent has found a plethora of lobbying firms which are hiring out their services to executives facing cross examination by select committees. The companies offer to put witnesses through mock examinations, draft likely questions and provide clients with inside information on “motivations and objectives” of the committees and the MPs who sit on them.

Some are even hiring former MPs and ministers to play the roles of committee members while others are offering to get advance warning of potential lines of attack.

But the practice has been condemned as “pathetic” by a select committee chair who accused the companies of trying “manipulate the parliamentary process”.

The growth in so-called select committee training follows a string of embarrassing appearances by a number of highly paid executives from major companies in recent years.

I remember being stunned to discover in 1979, a house builder, who had come up with a tricky legal problem, when locals reversed a planning decision to build on the open fields of Merseyside, as a consequence of their complacency - there was a public enquiry.

I discovered that none other than the then, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Rippon QC, MP and immediate past secretary of state for planning law was representing the builders. That my rather direct questioning of witnesses, contributed to exposing some rather dubious arguments of the builders did a great deal for my self- confidence.

When it comes down to it the British parliamentary system in theory gives us all equal right to express ourselves on public issues, and we need to see we are as well prepared as those who have the money to use the likes of Bell Pottinger and others who are already 'in the club' of government - and using those 'in the know' as it were, to represent them.

Localism and effective provision where service users are able to access all the services they need in a joined up way would be much easier to achieve if there were 42 new Community Rehabilitation Companies who shared police/PCC boundaries. These boundaries almost always make sense with local authority/health areas too.

Back in 1983/4 I was a member of a political group in Essex who had a major policy objective to be contemporaneous boundaries for all public authorities - I still believe in that but such campaigning gets no attention - I expect most blog readers just scroll past.

I remember complications involved working in an Essex probation team across two house authorities umpteen health areas, different catchment areas for benefits payments - at one time it was even different signing on for unemployment and getting payment.

Folk in Burnham on Crouch - not available to sign on the day the office was open (say had a days work, hospital appointment or court appearance) had to go to Rayleigh to sign and then to Chelmsford for an emergency payment with no fares paid and poor irregular public transport.

In Essex we also worked across two police areas because the Met took in places like Loughton - endless confusion. I thought it was real progress when we got to 42 Probation areas matching police. But this time Labour undid that in 2007, previously Conservatives undid their own local government reorganisation when they reinstated places like Rutland as a council area and worse.

I received the following letter this morning from one of the MP's I wrote to regarding the TR programme:

Dear Mr Hurst,

Thank you for letting me know your concerns about changes to probation services.

I have raised many of the issues you raise in my role as Chairman of the Justice Committee and I recently questioned the Justice Secretary about the proposals and the timetable. The Committee is looking at the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms as part of its broader inquiry on crime reduction policies. The Committee held an evidence session looking specifically at the Government’s plans in July, with witnesses including the Probation Chiefs Association and Napo. The subject was also discussed with representatives of local government and a panel of Police and Crime Commissioners. The Committee plans to hear further oral evidence and to meet informally with senior officials leading the programme at the Ministry of Justice.

I have attached a copy of the speech I made in the Offender Rehabilitation Bill debate on 11th November 2013, where I have set out my reservations.

Ouside of the Crimial Justice System Serco arn't preforming very well at much else that they do.If they should get a TR contract to manage offenders ewill it be acceptable to say as in this article "we know we are not getting it quite right, but are committed to doing so".Or might that be to late with regard to TR?

G4S were paid for security and stewarding to cover the London Olympics. They failed to produce enough staff. Part of their failing to produce enough staff was because they intended to use unpaid labour from work placements from the work programme. After a controversy regarding a number of people on placements found abandoned all night on the side of the Thames enroute to the games, using work programme placements became far to risky for them. Why? Because they would of been paid for the Olympic contract AND for finding their unemployed workers job placements. They really are a dirty company.I would very much like to know how many of those stewarding at the Commonwealth games in Glasgow will be there as a consequence of being sent there by the work programme.

Yes, not good at all. Happen its a bit like ministers who get paid in one hand for dismatling the nation's public services, and who then get extra benefits in the other hand for giving large contracts to failing companies.

Indeed, Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP for Berwick upon Tweed said in the House of Commons recently, "I think I have made myself clear about what view the House would take if a company that was the subject of a serious fraud inquiry were to be awarded a bid in those circumstances. I do not think Ministers are in any doubt on that point".

I note in the Telegraph artilcle that G4S and Serco both say that they will fully co-operate with the Serious Fraud Enquiries. Although, when Chris Graylings suggests that there should be a full audit of the companies emails, G4S said no chance.

Behind Rigby and Turnbridge Road Maghull. Over the turn bridge and the estate is on the right of White House Farm Community Centre (as was 1979ish), the first road in is Greenbank Avenue, or maybe Drive.

"What shall we do today"?"I don't know, what do you want to do"?"Don't know, we've knackered the legal system, caused unrest in the prison system, giving probation services over to fraudsters, ruined the NHS, destroyed the welfare state, might turn unused army barracks into workhouses for feckless families, theres the bedroom tax I just don't know what to do". What do you want to do"?"GOT IT!! Lets do this".

Gang members will be banned from wearing hoodies, owning pay-as-you-go phones, and riding bicycles in a new set of measures to break up their activities.They will also be banished from the postcode their gang operates in.The set of court orders was announced today by the new head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Baljit Ubhey.She told the Evening Standard: ‘It’s being able to identify people and limit the type of activity that they get involved in that would support ongiong gang activity.‘Curtailing people’s ability to associate post-conviction is also a really good way to prevent further gang activity.'She added: ‘We need to make sure that the Crown Prosecution Service is taking a really robust line when it comes to prosecuting gang crime.'This has such an impact on communities that we’ve really got to take a very tough line.'However, Colin James, the founder and senior mentor of Gangs Unite, blasted the measures as 'ridiculous' that 'will just make everything harder'.He told MailOnline: 'I think some of those measures are ridiculous. Banning hoodies in the winter is just unfair. Do we stop everyone from wearing hoodies? Just stop making them. And bicycles - how is that going to help?

It's My Blog

Welcome to the wonderful world of probation! These are the personal thoughts of an ordinary probation officer struggling to come to terms with constant change, whilst trying to do a useful job for society. Sadly, change is so often obviously not progress. I am fully aware that my views do not represent official policy of government, my Service or possibly anyone else - but hey - it's my blog!

ATV 1962 Windsor Davies

About Me

A grumpy, disillusioned, CQSW trained, generic, main grade probation officer based in a small English town. All my contemporaries have either left, retired or been promoted. Newer colleagues simply don't understand the journey I've been on from advise, assist and befriend. (If there is anyone of similar name in the NAPO handbook, it's not me).